(Atlantic) Atlantic City Administrator John Lund says there has been a growing concern amongst elected and appointed officials that low-value properties are being acquired and converted to rental apartments with no consideration for the safety of the tenants or the well-being of the surrounding neighborhood.
On Wednesday, the Atlantic City Council amended the City of Atlantic Zoning Code for the C-3 Central Business District. Lund says the amendment is established to provide a District of concentrated retail commercial and service uses intended to service the needs of the local trade area.
Lund says the C-3 District is intended to be located only in the city’s downtown area and expand out from the central location in an orderly and progressive manner as demand for additional commercial land is generated. Lund said the change will preserve the nature of the historic downtown as a vibrant commercial service and retail hub. He says first-story uses will be limited to commercial unless a conditional use permit is allowed.
He says the Conditional Use Permit will allow for quality revitalization should projects similar to the restoration of the old Whitney Inn, where apartments could be utilized as part of the first floor. The second-story residential units are commonplace in historic downtown areas.
